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Most of you see this sign whenever you go n watch your favorite movie. Ever wondered what this means, and how it enhances the sound effects when you watch a movie.

Dolby Digital is a lossy audio compression technology by Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Digital, or AC-3, is the common version containing up to 6 total channels of sound, with 5 channels for normal-range speakers (Right front, Center, Left Front, Right Rear and Left Rear) and one channel for the LFE ( Low Frequency Effects ) or the sub woofer. The signal from this track, ranging from 10 Hz to 120 Hz, is normally sent to a subwoofer. Thats a simple explanation of the Dolby Digital.

So next time when you watch a movie, you are aware of how technology surrounds you!

I dont understand Tamil. I do listen to Tamil songs by Rahman. I came across this track Vellai Pookal…which is now my favorite song sung by Rahman. The music is so simple with a few guitar strokes. In any way this is a Gem. I was hunting down several blogs for the translation and finally found this one.

Let white(peace) flowers bloom all over the world,
Let peace heal the unrest world,
let the sun’s rays fall on this soil,
Let the flowers lose their laziness and bloom.

Let the child open its eyes
in the mother’s lullaby
let the world wake up to
children’s laughter

In the breeze’s melody,
In the music created by raindrops,
Is there anything that give utmost joy than silence?
Would a crore melodies and words penned by poets be as meaningful
as a drop of a tear shed?

Let the moon rise in the place where the child reaches out its hands
Let the white bird sing in the place where there is no war.

Though I like each and every song composed by Rahman, but some of his albums are very close to my heart. He changed the way how songs are composed in the Indian Film industry. I am a lover of his compositions, because every song has something new… a new sound. And not to forget the diversity in his songs.. Look at a song like Piya Haji Ali…. which is more of a Islam devotional track.. also look at O Paalanharewhich is a pure hindu devotional song. Also take the example of the recent Ek Onkarfrom Rang De Basanti which is a punjabi devotional track. He has done a wonderful job in all the three songs.

If you dont know much about Rahman, a simple googling can help you. Also you can read this article.

I will be listing my fav. albums by Rahman in my upcoming blogs. The first one is here.

"Roja:Though he is renowned as the preeminent composer of modern Bollywood, A.R. Rahman was born and still works in Madras, 1,000 miles south of Bombay. His Tamil compatriot, the writer-director Mani Ratnam, yanked him out of jingle-writing to compose his first full score for Roja (The Rose) the tale of a woman whose lover is kidnapped by terrorists. Through this grim political parable, Rahman laced some spectacular melodies that not only serve the drama, they create their own[EM]as in the duet ballads "Yeh Haseen Vadiyan" and "Roja Jaaneman," which first are grounded in recitative, then suddenly ascend into celestial melody. This astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman. He plays with reggae and jungle rhythms, fiddles with Broadway-style orchestrations, runs cool variations on Morricone's scores for Italian westerns. "

This composition fetched Rahman a National Award by the Govt. of India. This was the movie Rahman debuted with.

Roja changed my perception of how film music should be.

If still have not listened to Roja. Beg, Borrow, steal … get your copy today.

I missed this interview on CNN IBN. But thanks to the internet for posting it here.

I also liked the way Rahman was introduced..

"He is considered India's most respected musicians. He has been credited with giving Indian film music a global, a more original, more unique sound. He is also one of the highest selling artists in the world, having sold more than 50 million albums in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English. He has also made a very successful crossover to the West, while his roots, his first love, continues to be Indian music. He is A R Rahman. "

Rajeev Masand: Your score for Roja was ranked by the Time magazine as one of the 10 best scores in the world. How do you look back at it now, since so many years have passed since Roja? Is that flattering?A R Rahman:Yes, it’s quite flattering. It’s a small world, isn’t it? You see Inside Man using Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan, Lord of War using Bombay theme.Rajeev Masand:Do you think Roja is your best work?A R Rahman:It’s probably my first good work. Like I said about Mani Ratnam, who gave me my first good work. It brings back all those memories. It gave me the urge to go further and maintain quality work, crossing over to the North Indian audience with the film, lyrics which were never imagined before.